(News Nation) — Former CNN anchor Don Lemon is suing X owner Elon Musk, accusing the tech mogul of luring him into a TV show deal that fell apart before the pilot even aired.
of Litigation It accuses the Tesla billionaire of fraud, misappropriation of Mr. Lemon’s name, negligent misrepresentation and violation of publicity rights, and breach of express contract regarding “The Don Lemon Show.”
The first episode was a one-on-one interview with Musk that was rife with tension and sometimes tough questions, and ended their exclusive partnership. Variety Report“The contract is cancelled,” Musk said in a text message announcing his resignation.
But that’s the problem: Lemon’s lawsuit alleges there was no written contract with Company X, a fact that surprised civil litigation expert and lawyer Richard Schonstein.
Schonstein said Friday that the lack of written evidence will make it more difficult for Lemon to prove his claims that Musk breached an “express agreement” to use Lemon’s “name, likeness, identity and reputation” and then “falsely failed to compensate him for breaching our partnership agreement.”
“Don Lemon’s claims fall into three basic categories: breach of contract, fraud and misappropriation of publicity,” Schonstein said on “Dan Abrams Live.” “Those are the three categories. The breach of contract claim is much harder to prosecute because none of it is documented.”
But Lemon’s claims are not even bound by written contracts, which Schonstein sees as a potential problem for the CEO.
Another aspect of the lawsuit is that the former anchor alleges that not only was he never paid his annual salary of at least $1.5 million, but that he also spent his own money on the project.
“If they have a partnership, which we think is pretty established, and Musk invests money in it and then Musk cancels it, that seems like the easiest thing to raise money for,” Schoenstein added.
Overall, the lawsuit has put Lemon and Musk’s names in the press, leading Schoenstein to argue that the conflict benefits both parties.
“That should calm things down,” he said, revealing that their celebrity status might change that. “It’s hard to say.”
